Yahoo Finance College Basketball Star Armando Bacot Says He Gets Angry Messages from Fans Who Bet on Him: ‘It’s Terrible’
The UNC forward received over 100 DMs following the Tar Heels' game against the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday night
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Armando BacotUNC basketball star Armando Bacot is speaking out on the issue of prop bets in sports
The Tar Heels forward called the trend "terrible," and said he received more than 100 DMs following his game against Michigan State on Saturday
The NCAA said it was "working with states to deal with" threats against players and that many are moving to ban such bets
University of North Carolina basketball star Armando Bacot has a few words for the bettors after receiving more than 100 direct messages from angry fans following his team’s NCAA Tournament win over Michigan State.
“It’s terrible,” Bacot told reporters on Wednesday about sports betting, per the Tar Hill Tribune. “Even at the last game, I guess I didn’t get enough rebounds or something. I thought I played pretty good last game, but I looked at my DMs, and I got, like, over 100 messages from people telling me I sucked and stuff like that because I didn’t get enough rebounds.”
Yet as the Tar Heels prepare to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the forward said he understands the other perspective as well.
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“I think it’s definitely a little out of hand. But at the same time too, I get the point of it too,” Bacot, 24, said. “Like, if you bet a lot of money on something, and you’re, like, one pick away and somebody messes it up, I understand the part of fans being made. But it’s annoying, too, at times.”
On Saturday, Bacot helped assuage his own fans’ nerves, after hitting five three-pointers and finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds in the 85-69 win over the No. 9 Spartans.
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Bacot’s comments come amid a move by the NCAA to work with states to ban prop bets on college athletes. Prop – or proposition – bets let gamblers wager on a player’s statistics during the game, in lieu of the final score.
“Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity of competition and leading to student-athletes getting harassed,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said Wednesday in statement posted on social media. “The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats and many are responding by banning college prop bets.”
Baker’s statement comes as the NBA is dealing with its own controversy surrounding prop bets. The league confirmed to ESPN on Monday that it was investigating prop bets involving Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter.
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